giving up on amitriptyline

[fibrogirl41]

hi I have been taking this for three days now and it is making me feel like dizzy and staggering about I don't like it and I don't know if it's that or fibromyalgia I am not sure does anyone else take it and have you had side effects? 😊

[fmlife]

best report this to your gp, if they not working today ring 111, sounds like a side effect. you need their advice to whether to take half or to stop.

none (there was a few tried me on) of the anti-depressants did not help me sleep.

Sleep apparently is the reset button

for sleep am taking Promethazine hydrochloride an elixir that is used for allergies 5ml at 5pm.

gentle hugs

[PenelopeClearwater]

I didn’t like amitriptyline either - made me feel the same! I did try pregabalin and it made me into a zombie, so just a heads up on that… but gabapentin works for me.

Of course, things work differently for different people, so speak to your gp and go from there.

They will probably tell you to stick with the current meds for longer, but you know your own body, so it’s worth arguing your point x

[Sillysausage234]

Horrible stuff

[onebigvoice]

If you have not been taking it for long you have to realise that some medications take weeks to get into the system. Its not always a quick fix. Having said that , try to persevere with them and on Monday ring your GP and just ask them if this is normal ,as nothing has changed except I have another set of symptoms. The balance of interaction can take a bit of time. I would ring for a bit of advice.

[CatLadyx8]

Hi I was on the high dose and had this at the start but it went away after about a week, my dosage was slowly increased and was told it can take up to two weeks for them to work properly. We are all different and depending on how bad these are making you feel is something you need to speak to your gp about xx

[SpikeDinosaur]

I take it and it's definitely helped with my sleep. But it's not perfect.

As others have said side effects are different for everyone and if they are very serious then get them checked out.

The worst side effect for me was that I felt dull and dopey in the morning. Not dizzy, but a bit uncoordinated. I adjusted the time I took it in the evening (earlier), which helped a bit. I found that the side effects mostly went away in a few weeks. It also took a few weeks to have a beneficial effect. So it did feel like I had bad effects with no good ones for a while.

I'm glad I persevered though. My ongoing side effects are easier to live with than the symptoms they help with. This condition is so long lasting that I wanted to give any treatment option a good trial before I decided if it was for me. But only you know what the right balance of symptoms and side effects is for you, and when it's time to ask if there's another drug that might suit you better.

I hope that you find something that helps.

[Braveheart1]

Again as above takes a while! I had the same side effects but it did pass and I don’t sleep without taking amitriptylene so I persevere, take it alongside pregablin

[Cat00]

Like most meds you need to give Amitriptyline 6 weeks to tell if its going to work and for the side effects to wear off.

Ive been on Amitriptyline for over 15 years, I've had to come off it several times for pregnancy. Each time I go back on it I have to go through a bit of a zombie phase. But I wouldn't be without it, I don't really sleep without it.

I take it at 8.30 pm so I'm not groggy when I wake up at 7 or before. But that particular side effect wears off in time so it probably doesn't make any difference now.

It's an old drug so doctors like it because they know a lot about it. You need to give it a lot longer than 3 days to know if it can help you. If you don't give it longer you'll never know if it could be useful but of course that applies to almost drugs.

[Kitten-whiskers]

I had terrible side effects while trying to take Amitriptyline everyday, in the end I ended up taking it just once a week to help me get a little sleep, and that's what I have been doing ever since.

Best wishes

Debs

[bertie1606]

The dizziness will wear off, I had the same when I first started it. I have tried other meds through the years but amitriptyline is the only one that helps. Just out of interest what dose have they started you on? And are you taking it at night? X

[moo196]

what dose and what time are you taking it? I take 10mg and only if I take it before 7.30pm.... anything later and I will be zombified the next day. Have you taken it early enough?

[JamesPDeans]

It takes time. The anti depressants take 1 to 2 months to start working and the first month can be hard till your body adjusts to it.

[Maud-ie]

I slept a bit better but hated feeling groggy every morning. I also felt occasionally woozy on it. Decided after a few years to wean myself off of it. I can just about cope with pain but not my brain going fuzzy too. Good luck x

[saj01 in reply to Maud-ie]

Hi Maud-ie, Saw your reply re amitriptyline... pain / brain fog. May I ask , are you still taking it or something else now. I find my pain not too bad most days, providing I keep on the move. but it's the brain fog that seems to be getting worse.... I just feel as though I'm going gaga... and I hate it ... I don't feel like me anymore... it's taken me days to try and get my head around some legal docs. ... the info is just not going in! can you let me know If you've found something to help clear the fog please?

[Maud-ie in reply to saj01]

Not medication-wise, no. I tried and failed on amytriptyline, gabapentin, lyrica and anti -TNF injections. The latter made me suicidal. Literally The brain fog is bad but less so when I battle on without meds for it. For me accepting my brain as it is now and not beating myself up about it was a breakthrough and helped my pain levels somewhat too. Good luck x

[Sam988]

Hi I had a friend that couldn’t take amitriptyline due to hallucinations! I take 40g daily and do find it helpful in that when I wake in the night I can still relax and more sleep will come. I take it by 1900 otherwise I am too sluggish in the morning, and for me this works fine 😊

[Oshgosh]

Take it at bed time,I started off on 1 tablet ,worked up to 3.

[catherine19611]

I had side effects with it, it also caused bladder problems for me, my GP change mine to Nortiptaline or however you spell it, it is the sister drug to amytriptaline

[Hidden]

I was awful for three weeks. Dizzy sick cramp dry mouth headaches constipation. Just at the end of week four and most of the side effects have gone. My pharmacist recommended taking in the morning with breakfast and warned me I would feel terrible, thing is I still have a lot of pain everywhere and only the pins and needles have gone but not completely.

[fibrogirl41 in reply to Hidden]

bless you x I hope I will be able to get over this dizziness blipx I hope the effects wear off soon x 😋 😊

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

Hi fibro girl, I hope you have sort advice being the weekend and got in touch with the 111 service for advice ? xx

[jools56]

I had similar side effects when I started it - and a very dry mouth, but the side effects passed in about a week. Try and get through this stage if you can - it has helped my sleep enormously, and therefore my pain. I've now been on it at night time since 2010. I'm sure your GP will be able to reassure you.

[Luv2quilt]

Hi fibrogirl41,

Don’t give up on it just yet. You may want to see about getting a pill cutter and seeing if a lesser dose is still effective without zombie/doppy/dizzy feel.

I take amitrityline for esophageal spasms, but not on a continual basis. I have found it helpful though for my fibro too.

What is the dosage of your prescription? My Dr. originally prescribed 25 mg. I found it too much as I felt like a zombie for

The next day and a half. I cut the pill in half and it still made me doppy. I then cut it in quarters and found that to still be effective, but not having the zombie feel last more than until noon the next day.

I recently changed to tablet to 10mg and find that to be too strong so taking half. 5mg seems to be strong enough to help me really sleep at night and have less pain in the morning, with no long term zombie effect.

I hope this encourages you a bit.

[fibrogirl41 in reply to Luv2quilt]

thank you ❤️ mum has a pill cutter but I don't can you get them on Amazon x I hope you are ok on it now x

[poussierre]

"My ongoing side effects are easier to live with than the symptoms they help with." (from a group member). The best advice to judge the personal efficiency of hardcore meds.

[TIDDLYF]

I started on 25mg at night and kept waking with a hangover type feeling and really tired. When I went back to the Dr he increased the dose to 50mg which I wasn't too happy about but those feelings stopped! Weird but true. I took them for a few years and they certainly helped with me sleeping.My daughter has recently been diagnosed with Fibro and been put on them with NO side effects.

We are all different. I would say persevere

[CE27]

It had the same effect on me I was told to take them a couple of hours before bed instead and they seem to have worked. Had to make sure I took them early enough though so didn't get the drowsy hungover feeling in the morning...I usually take them before my dinner. I took a good few weeks for it to get into my system though so like others have said seek medical advice if you are unsure they might be able to help xx

[Midori]

You need to give it longer as at the moment it won't have built up enough to make you feel better, 3 to 6 weeks and you will settle down before that and start to feel some benefit.

Patience is necessary with anything like this. Three days is nowhere near long enough. Also If it makes you groggy take it earlier in the evening

Cheers, Midori